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President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 25 percent on Japan and South Korea on Monday, stepping up pressure on the two key US allies and a dozen other economies to reach trade deals with Washington.

Trump issued similar letters to South Africa, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Kazakhstan, saying he would slap duties on their products ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.

The president had said at the weekend that, starting from Monday, he would send a first batch of letters to countries…

President Donald Trump threatened Japan and South Korea with 25 percent tariffs Monday, stepping up pressure on the two historical US allies and a dozen other economies to reach trade deals with Washington.

Trump had said at the weekend that starting from Monday he would send a first batch of up to 15 letters to countries, informing them that he would reimpose harsh levies earlier postponed in April.

In near-identically worded letters to the Japanese and South Korean leaders, Trump said the…

US President Donald Trump said Monday he was slapping 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, in his first letters to trading partners ahead of a deadline to reach a deal with Washington.

Trump had said at the weekend that starting from Monday he would send a first batch of up to 15 letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose harsh levies that he had postponed in April.

In near-identically worded letters to the Japanese and South Korean leaders, Trump said the tariffs would…

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview released on Monday that Israel, which last month fought a 12-day war with Iran, had attempted to assassinate him.

The remarks came less than a month after Israel launched its unprecedented June 13 bombing campaign against Iran, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists.

The Israeli attacks took place two days before Tehran and Washington were set to meet for a new round of nuclear talks, stalling negotiations that were…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM party Monday to discuss the next steps after PKK militants agreed to end their decades-long insurgency.

DEM, Turkey’s third-biggest party, has played a key role in facilitating an emerging peace deal between the government and jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, whose Kurdish militant group is expected to begin laying down its weapons later this week.

The meeting, which lasted just over an hour, brought together…

Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policy faces a critical week as the US president races to secure the bilateral deals he promised, ahead of a shifting deadline for re-imposing steep tariffs on dozens of economies.

Trump is due to send a first batch of letters to up to 15 trading partners from noon local time (1600 GMT), warning that US levies on imports will snap back to elevated levels if foreign governments fail to reach agreements with Washington.

The duties will not bounce back until August…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House Monday evening as Israel and Hamas continue mediated talks in Doha for a Gaza ceasefire deal and Iran signals readiness to return to negotiations. 

The two leaders are also expected to coordinate on the next steps after Israel’s US-backed 12-day campaign against Iran. Netanyahu’s visit — his third during Trump’s second term — follows the two declaring victory over Iran’s nuclear enrichment…